The University of Chicago Ad Hoc Faculty Committee on Dissent and Protest is accepting ideas and recommendations from the public.

The Committee was formed in response to the University of Chicago Police Department’s actions to a nonviolent protest at the then-vacant Center for Care and Discovery.

In January, students, neighborhood residents and faculty marched on the hospital to protest the university’s $700 million expenditure for a new hospital when the South Side lacks in trauma care centers.

Four protesters were arrested at that time. Charges were dropped against one, and the remaining arrestees were given a judicial slap on the wrist.

A plainclothes UCPD officer was discovered among a crowd of protesters during a second march weeks later. The UCPD conduct caused Provost Thomas Rosenbaum to issue a letter condemning the behavior.

The Committee was formed to recommend what actions the UCPD should and should not take as standard protocol when dealing with protests that can include members of the public as well as students and faculty.

The Committee will deliver its findings and determinations in December.

The public is invited to submit ideas or recommendations to protest policy input@uchicago.edu.

From the LETTERS Page

"Dreams of two separate owners swooping in to buy each of these houses and then spending what might well be $1 million each in renovations in addition to the purchase price are not likely to come true."From "B&B proposals a practical choice"

"At the meeting, we could not even discuss how the bed-and-breakfast would be operationalized because the vast majority of attendees at the meeting did not want a bed-and-breakfast under any circumstance."From "Ald. Burns explains B&B decision"

"The university has invested a great deal in Harper Court and 53rd Street to help attract amenities, create jobs and support new business opportunities. As neighbors, we are committed to seeing Hyde Park flourish, now and in the future."From "Clearing the air on Harper Court"